Surgical splint and bandage



April 1961 R. s. BRUMFIELD ETAL 2,980,110

SURGICAL SPLINT AND BANDAGE 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 Filed Feb. 28, 1955 INVENTOR RICHARD s. ERUMF/ELD W/LLIAM f2. FERGUSON M ATTORNEY April 1961R. s. BRUMFIELD ET AL 2,980,110

SURGICAL SPLINT AND BANDAGE 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Filed Feb. 28, 1955 Quip |I no mmooo hm o A mill] IN VENTOR RICH/4RD S. BRUMF/ELD WILL/AM IE.FERGUSON ATTORNEY J port material;

SURGICAL SPLINT AND BANDAGE Richard S. Brumfield, Edgewood, and WilliamR. Ferguson, 600 W. Belvedere Ave., Baltimore 10, Md.

Filed Feb. 28, 19 55, Ser. No. 491,012

4 Claims. (Cl. 12887) This invention relates to-a support material forsurgical use.

There are numerous occasions when it becomes necessary to applytemporary support to various parts of the human body. Since many ofthese occasions are of emergency nature, the support in addition tobeing efiective, must be capable of being conformedtothe particular partof the human anatomy required to be supported. Consequently it must beuniversally adaptable in size to accommodatethe various locations towhich it is to be applied and the various sizes of individuals.

There are a number of other desirable features in such devices besidesthe essential ones previously set out. Since the material is to' be keptstored against an emergency, it must not deteriorate readily. It mustkeep in substantially sterile form. The comfort of the patient must bekept in mind so that the support does not add further to the discomfort.As devices of this kind are frequently left in contact with the humanbody for considerable periods of time, it must be susceptible ofeffective cleansing. All of these requirements have been satisfied inour invention. Specifically our invention consists of a heavy plasticsheet slotted and notched to enable it to be conformed to a variety ofparts of the human body while afiording a controlled degree of support.The portion interfering with the human anatomy may be cut away and theresultant flexible sheet may be wholly or partially covered with textilematerial to cushion the same and adapt it to be drawn about the memherto be supported. The manner and degree of slotting and notching maybevariedac'cording to character and degree of-support required. Ourinvention may best be understood by reference-to the accompanyingdrawings in which:

Figure 1 shows a plan view of one form of the basic support material;

' Figures 2 to 4 are similar to Figure 1 showing modified forms ofsupport material;

Figure 5-shows one type of support with portions of the outer coveringbroken away to show the inner sup- Figure 6 is a cross-section taken onthe line 66 of Figure 5;

1 Figure 7 shows a modified form of support with portions broken away asin Figure 5;

-Fig. 8 shows another modification;

Figure 9 is an end view taken along the lines Figure 8;

- Figure 10 is a plan view of another modification of our invention; and

Figure 11 is an enlarged view of one of the details of Figure 10.

Referring now to the drawings, there is shown in.Figure IV a fiatplastic sheet 10. While the chemical nature of the plastic is not thesignificant part of this invention, acom'paratively ,wide selection ofmaterials is available. .The material chosen must bestifi without beingbrittlepnd fiexiblewithout being soft. Typical of satis- 2. factorymaterials are those of a cellulose acetate and celluloseacetate-butyrate type. They have the advantage of being cleanable withsoapy water although they may not be subjected to steam sterilization.The thickness of the material may vary according to the amount of stiff-.ness required in the finished product but for general purposes,thickness from .08 to .12 inch has proven quite satisfactory.

Extending inwardly toward the center line 11 of the sheet from the edges13 thereof are slots 12. These slots are spaced apart, one from thenext, according to= the stiffness requirements of the splint. Generally,be-- cause the material is to be cut to fit, it is advisable to produceit with slots of uniform spacing. However,

it will be obvious that by varying the spacing, the relative stiffnessin some portions of the splint may be effectively controlled. As shownin Figure 1 the inner ends 14 of the slots 12 extend to the far side ofthe centerline from the edge 13 that they enter. This results. in anoverlapping of slots in the center line so that a substantial measure offlexibility is attained.

We find it desirable to round the inner ends 14 of the slots as sharpcorners tend to form the starting points of breaks in the material whenit is bent too sharply. For ordinary purposes we have found that slotsapproximately inch in width are quite satisfactory. Additional stiffnessat the outer edges appears to result from the use of narrower 'slotswhile the central flexibility may be maintained with larger sized ends14. As shown .at 18 the slots may be tapered outwardly to the edges 13,thus allowing for greater flexibility and also greater compressibility.

As shown in Figure 2, the sheet 20 is provided with a series of parallelslots 22 with their ends 24 terminating short of the center line of thestrip leaving a central spine 28. This construction is especiallyvdesirable where stiffness in one direction as well as support isrequired. If desired some or all of the slots may be thin as'shown' at26. Although, as will be pointed out subsequently, direct contact withthe flesh is usually prevented by an overlying textile material, it maybe desirable to round the edges 23 betweenthe slots 22 to additionallyadd to the comfort of the device.

Where larger areas are involved we find the construe tion shown inFigure 3 to be advantageous. Along the: edges 36 of the sheet 30 slots32 extend inwardly only' part of the distance toward the center line 31.The slots are arranged in pairs and alternated between each pair ofinternal slots 33 extending out from the center line but not as far asthe edge 36 of the sheet. Thus the'ends 34 of the external slots and theends 35 of the internal slots alternate in a manner similar to the endsshort of the edges 43 leaving margins 48 along each edge. 7

According to the needs of the case, any one of the constructions 10, 20,30 or 40 may be incorporated into 1 a bandage, or other constructionsuited toemergency requirements. Thus, as shown in Figure 5, a spinalsupport may be formed by introducing into a piece of tubular stockinet50, a suitable length of splint 10. One or both ends of the material maybe passed several times through slots 52in fiatbuckle 54 advantageouslyalso Patented Apr. 18, 1961 made of fiat plastic material and thesupport secured in place by means of tapes (not shown) passed throughsmall slots 56 in the buckles 54.

The exact length of splint material is chosen and cut off by means ofheavy bandage shears, preferably by extending one of the slots across tothe far edge 13. The support is easily and quickly made to fit theindividual patient in such manner that -his.exact needs are cared forbut from a comparatively small stock of basic materials that need to bekept on hand. H s

For a firm support or brace, a flat section of material such as 40 maybe encased in a piece of stockinet 60 as shown in Figure 7, and the endsthereof closed by one or two lines of stitching 62. It has also beenfound that satisfactory results can be obtained by folding the end ofthe textile material over andsecuring it by adhesive. For securingpurposes, a pair of tapes 64 may be sewn by means of the same seam 62,used to secure the end of the textile. Where the covering material 60 isof tubular knit goods, the natural elasticity of this fabric, causes itto generally follow the contours of the enclosed splint so that, if itis desired to cut or trim these to suit the requirements of the patient,the outer covering will closely conform itself to the enclosed splint.

An eifective head and neck brace canbe prepared in a very short time asshown in Figure 8. A highly resilient cushion made up of several layersof stockinet material 70 is made up of a flat base 72 with side flaps 73folded over along the length thereof and stitched at the ends at 74. Atintermediate points a series of cooperating snap elements 75 may besecured, the one half to the base material and the other half to theside flaps 73. The fasteners 75 may be conveniently received in slots 29of the splint material 20. A relatively non-extensible tape 76 may beused for securing the splint. inet material is sufiiciently soft to padthe neck and throat while the individual teeth 25 of the split 20 areflaredoutwardly, the upper ones to support the head and the lower onesto rest on the chest and shoulders of the patient. Those that projectout too far may be easily-trimmed off of the desired length, yet thepadding will be conformed to the splint easily.

As shown in Figure 10, a surgical corset may be fashioned fromthe'material of this invention. One or more sheets of splint material 30may be employed to encircle the body and if more than one is required,the two sheets are lapped at adjacent ends and secured together by meansof two or more tubular rivets 80'. Upper and lowertextile members areused, consisting of a body contacting layer 82. and an outer fiap'84folded from the same piece of goods. The two flaps 82 and 84 are held toeach other by lines of stitching 86 at the ends and at various intervalsalong the length arranged to coincide with slots 32. The textilematerialmay be firmly yet adjustably held to the splint'by means of glovefastener elements 88 secured at intervals to the base, textile 82. Thefastener elements 88 may be snapped into any one of a row of holes 90 todraw the pockets in the textile material close up against the'edge 36 ofthe splint sheet.

At least one strap or tape 92 is threaded through slots 94 in the splintitself and at least one relatively nonextensible strap 96 is sewn to thetextile material 84 to draw the corset about the body of the patient. Ifdesired, buckles 98 may be provided on straps 92. and 96 to hold thestraps in place.

It will be readily appreciated that the stocka Under present practice,when a patient requires a sur gical corset, it is necessary for thesurgeon to send the patient to a corsetiere, who must usually measurethe patient and have the corset made upbefore the patient can try it on.Thus thereis at least the delay in movement involved in traveling fromthe surgeons office to the corset makers oflice plus usually a loss oftime involved in-making up the corset itself. During this time it isalmost inevitable that the patients condition will have 4. changedmaterially between the time when. it is determined he needs the supportand the time when the corset is first placed on him. By way of contrast,the doctor in his own office may cut out portions 100 from the edges ofthe corset to conform the same to the hips and arm pit holes of thepatient and if required, he may make additional openings in the splintmember for any convenient purpose. He may also employ additional paddingwherever required and having made such allowances he can drawthe strapsas tightly as required, changing their direction according to the needsof the patient. He has thus produced at less expense than is ordinarilyinvolved in the manufacture of a custom fitted corset, provided a fullyequivalent device from the point of view of service and in addition, bymaking the fitting in his own ofiice, at the time the patient requiresthe support, provided a device that is greatly superior because it hasbeen fitted exactly to the patient at the exact time that the physicianhas the patient under his care. Because the corset may be cut to fit anysize of patient and because it may be shaped to fit the requirements ofany patient, it puts a substantial new weapon in the hands of thesurgeon to enable him to treat a large class of orthopaedic patients. 7V

A comparatively small supply of a variety of splint and textile materialwill enable the surgeon to prepare a large selection of splints,bandages, corsets, and braces according to the character of cases thatcome to him. Varying degrees of firmness and flexibility are provided,through the selection of slots and their spacing. Very large structurescan be arranged by riveting two or more pieces of splint materialtogether and in the event that additional rigidity is required at asingle point or along a predetermined line, such rigidity can beobtained by riveting an additional layer of splint material in the areadesired. For the most part, no additional apparatus is required to bekept in the doctors office, for handling this material as the doctoralways has a'large selection of scissors for cutting the material downto size. In the event that riveting becomes necessary, the apparatusrequired additionally is of small'consequence. The cost of a corsetformed inaccordance with the teaching of our invention is relativelymuch less than the cost of a professionally fitted device of equivalentcharacter. Thus the patient gains in every way from our invention.

In the claims, the slots 12, 22, 32,, 33, 37 to 39', 42, etc. aredesignated by this inclusive term. Those slots entering from an edge ofthe sheet are more specifically designated as notches. Also, regardlessof the relative proportions of the base sheet 10, etc., that dimensionin which the center line 11, etc., is found, is treated as thelongitudinal dimension.

We claim:

1'. A surgical'supportin'g device adapted to be-fitted'to the patientincluding a splint po'rt'ionof sufficient length to encircle the largestof an expected groupo'f b'ody members and of greater Width than isrequired by at least some of the members to be fitted, said splintincluding a plurality of slots extending on each side of a centerlinerunning the length of the splint, said slots having rounded ends andbeing of substantial width, at least some of said slots being wider inthe center-portion than at the ends thereof, additional slots extendinginwardly from the edges of the splint and generally parallel to saidfirst mentioned slots, said splint being adapted to be cut in length tofit the patient and being adapted to be trimmed along its edges to suitthe patients needs, a tape adapted to compressthe device about thebodyme'mber, means for holding the tape-against vertical movementWhilepermitting it to be drawn tight, textile means for enclosing theedges of the splint and drawing the sameabout the patients bodymemberincludin'g a pair of strips, one for each edge of the splint, eachsaid strip including a relatively non-extensible strip folded:lengthwise and secured, as by stitching, at its ends-to formamelongatedpoeket to enclose the ends of the splint, the two plies ofthe pocket being stitched together to form subdivisions of the principalpocket, the lines of stitching coinciding with the edgewise slots,cooperating means on the textile strip and the splint for holding thesplint within the pockets of the strip and means secured to the stripfor holding the same firmly about the body member.

2. A surgical corset adapted to be fitted to the patient including asplint portion of sufficient length to encircle the largest of anexpected group of patients and of greater width than is required byatleast some of the patients to be fitted, said splint including aplurality of slots extending on each side of a centerline running thelength of the splint,.said slots having rounded ends and being ofsubstantial width,.additional slots extending in- Wardly from the edgesof the splint and generally parallel to said first mentioned slots, saidsplint being adapted to be cut in length to fit the patient and beingadapted to be trimmed along its edges to suit the patients needs, a tapeadapted to compress the corset about the patient, means for holding thetape against vertical movement while permitting it to be drawn tight,textile means for enclosing the edges of the splint and drawing the sameabout the patients body including a pair of strips, one for each edge ofthe splint, each said strip including a relatively non-extensible stripfolded lengthwise and secured, as by stitching, at its ends to form anelongated pocket to enclose the ends of the splint, the two plies of thepocket being stitched together to form subdivisions of the principalpocket, the lines of stitching coinciding with the edgewise slots,cooperating means on the textile strip and the splint for holding thesplint within thepockets of the strip and means for holding the samefirmly about the body.

3. A surgical corset adapted to be fitted to the patient including asplint portion, said splint including a plurality of slots extending oneach side of a centerline running the length of the splint, said slotshaving rounded ends and being of substantial width, at least some ofsaid slots being wider in the center portion than at the ends thereof,additional slots extending inwardly from the edges of the splint andgenerally parallel to said first mentioned slots, said splint beingadapted to be cut in length to fit the patient and being adapted to betrimmed along its edges to suit the patients needs, a tape adapted tocompress the corset about the patient, means for holding the tapeagainst vertical movement while permitting it to be drawn tight, textilemeans for enclosing the edges of the splint and drawing the same aboutthe patients body including a pair of strips, one for each edge of thesplint, each said strip including a relatively non-extensible stripfolded lengthwise and secured, as by stitching, at

its ends to form an elongated pocket to enclose the ends of the splint,the two plies of the pocket being stitched together to form subdivisionsof the principal pocket, the lines of stitching coinciding with theedgewise slots, cooperating means on the textile strip and the splintfor holding the splint Within the pockets of the strip and means forholding the same firmly about the body.

4. A surgical corset adapted to be fitted to'the patient including asplint portion, said splint including a plu-' rality of slots extendingon each side of a centerline running the length of the splint, saidslots having rounded ends and being of substantial width, additionalslots extending inwardly from the edges of the splint and generallyparallel to said first mentioned slots, said splint being adapted to becut in length to fit the patient and being adapted to be trimmed alongits edges to suit the patients needs, a tape adapted to compress thecorset about the patient, means for holding the tape against verticalmovement While permitting it to be drawn tight, textile means forenclosing the edges of the splint and drawing the same about thepatients body including a pair of strips, one for each edge of thesplint, each said strip including a relatively non-extensible stripfolded lengthwise and secured, as by stitching, at its ends to form anelongated pocket to enclose the ends of the splint, the two plies ofthe-pocket being stitched together to form subdivisions of the principalpocket, the lines of stitching coinciding with the edgewise slots,partial fastening means on the textile strip and a plurality ofcooperating means on the splint for selectively holding the splintwithin the pockets of the strip and means for holding the same firmlyabout the body.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS OTHERREFERENCES Orthopaedic Appliance Atlas, published by American Academy ofOrthopaedic Surgeons in 1952, page 143.

(Copy in Scientific Library.)

Orthopaedic Appliance Atlas, published by American Academy ofOrthopaedic Surgeons in 1952, page 223;

(Copy in Scientific Library.)

